In their work, the teams led by Webber often find the crooks begin by stealing small sums of money as a way of testing the water to see if they can get away with the crime.
The investigations can often involve tedious searches for unobtrusive withdrawals from bank accounts, but one of the team members, Peg Horan, at the New York City Elder Abuse Center, says some things do stand out.
“We see all the time purchases of 10 tickets to a Six Flags amusement park when the older person didn’t go there,” Horan says.
Receipts for money spend on gambling are also common, she adds.
And the thefts can be life threatening. There have been eviction cases in New York City because victims have not had enough money remaining to pay rent.